Lockdown setting aside differences
by Ernil i Pheriannath
Summary: A short AU about if Charlie hadn't gone on the mission to find Henry's balloon and was in the hatch during Lockdown.


**Ok, this is a funny little story I wrote as if Charlie wasn't on the mission to find Henry's balloon and was down in the hatch during Lockdown, he has to set aside his differences with Locke and help him and Henry to get the doors open... **

**Anyway enjoy...**

**Abi x**

"Hello?" Charlie's voice echoed through the empty hatch, "anyone here" Charlie could hear a strange crackling around him, like a loose connection.

"What do you want" Locke's angry voice made the boy jump as the older man appeared from around the corner.

"John, what's happening?" Charlie heard a muffled cry from further in the hatch.  
"Who's that?" he asked curiously.

"What do you want?" Locke didn't seem at all impressed to see Charlie, he looked flustered, though Charlie couldn't really understand what his problem was, he decided to drop the question for a moment.

"I was coming to get some things from the store, they sent me down here" Charlie pointed to the store room.

"Just take what you need and go" Locke disappeared back around the corner as the crackling began to continue. Charlie grinned at Locke's frustration of seeing him, he shook his head and went into the store room, searching the almost empty shelves for the few items that his fellow survivors had asked for. Suddenly the odd sound became louder, there was a loud scraping sound, Charlie popped his head out of the door to see what looked like a door crash down from the ceiling, he ran quickly toward the computer room as a door came down in front of him he ducked under it, missing his judgement and colliding with one of the prongs under the door as it came down. He fell forward in a dazed state, just clear of the door as it locked down to the floor. Charlie's hand flew to his head in shearing pain, and he cried out in agony, he was fed up of banging his head on things. _Its about time I started looking where the bloody hell I'm going_, Charlie cursed to himself as he looked had his hand from his head already stained with his own blood. "Bollocks" he cursed again sitting up finding himself quiet dizzy.

"Locke" he shouted, wondering where the other man had got to. "John, what's happening"

"I'm sorting it" an angry voice came from somewhere else in the hatch, "just go back to the beach Charlie, I don't need you"

Charlie looked around the room and stood up slowly finding his head spin. "I can't" he cried, "I'm trapped." Locke didn't answer, Charlie sat down for a moment, his back to one of the doors, his hand was still clasped on his painful head wound, he sure did feel tired, he sighed loudly. Well he thought, if I'm going to be hear a while I don't see how a sleep would hurt. Charlie's eyes drooped quickly and for a moment he wondered if he should really be feeling this way, his head was pounding, but before he could think anymore, deep sleep suddenly (to his surprise) overtook him.

Charlie's eyes shot open as he heard a cry of agony, reminding himself that his head pounded, seemingly worse that it did before, he could feel a long stream of blood down his face and neck and his shirt felt soaked around the collar, he didn't know how long he had been asleep for. He blinked and came to his senses.

"Hello" he croaked out.

"Charlie?" Locke's voice seemed to come strained, "where the hell have you been"

"What?" the rock star tried to understand.

"I was calling you earlier" John shouted in haste "Where the hell were you"

"Never mind" Charlie tried to remember what was going on, but his head seemed jumbled with thoughts that he couldn't piece together.

"I need your help" Locke shouted bring Charlie out of his thoughts, "I need you to help Henry force this door open"

Henry? Charlie didn't understand, every sentence Locke had said had confused him further.

"What?" Charlie's head pounded harder as he tried to think, "I don't..."

"Over here" the boy heard a loud banging and looked around a corner in its direction to see a pair of feet on the floor.

"What's going on, I banged my head"

_That would explain it_, Locke thought to himself, as he quickly tried to explain everything. "I'm trapped under the door Charlie," he said slowly and clearly as not to confuse him. "I need you to help my friend Henry here to force it up and wedge something underneath it" Charlie took a minute or two to take in the information.

"OK" he said finally, though he didn't know who exactly this Henry friend was, "I'm ready" he answered getting close to the door so he could place his hands under it to pull up.

"What exactly where you planning to put under it" he asked.

"We have something" "OK" a unfamiliar voice came to him, "On three we pull ok, one, two, three..." Charlie strained at the door finding another pair of hands help him pull. He heard Locke cry out as the prong left his leg and the door began to slowly travel upward. Locke moved out of the way.

"Can you hold it" Charlie heard the voice again, the door was now almost chest height.

"Yep" Charlie tensed as the weight of the solid metal door was suddenly left to him alone. A piece of metal was quickly added to the gap underneath and then another, they looked like shelves from the store room, then a long rod of metal was added it wedged in well and sat precariously.

"OK, let go" Charlie let the door slowly go, the blood from his head seemed to quickly drain and he suddenly felt faint, he bent forward as the metal crunched taking the doors full weight.

"Are you ok?" Locke's voice came as a surprise. Charlie breathed heavily as he tried to recover from the exertion, his arms and legs ached already from the stain of weight. Suddenly there was a loud crack, the metal began to break and crunch.

"Watch out" Charlie heard someone shout distantly but it was too late, the rod suddenly shot out of place, it sprung upward, hitting Charlie clean across the face, catching his already fresh wound. He stumbled backward trying to keep his balance but failed, falling flat on his back and out cold, oblivious to the goings on around him.

"Charlie?" Locke shouted as the metal began to give way, the gap in the door becoming less and less, "Can you hear me?" Locke moved over to his front, taking in a sharp breath as his injured leg met the floor, he looked under the door to see Charlie's still form a few metres away on the other side. It was then a loud beeping began to sound.

"Damn it" John shouted in frustration, "The button, Charlie?" he tried again to stir the boy on the other side of the door.

"What's that?" Henry looked around the room as he heard the sound.

"Your going to have to push me under the door" Locke cried ignoring the question.

"But your leg?" Henry was hesitant.

"Just do it" Locke shouted in frustration, "there's just enough room under the door, just push me by my legs through"

Henry nodded, he didn't know what Locke would do if he didn't. John stretched out on his front his hands toward the door ready to be pushed.  
"Ok, now" Locke shrieked as Henry pushed his legs, he ignored the pain and pulled himself through, his leg was burning in agony. Just as he was free of the door, the remaining metal crumpled leaving near enough no gap under the heavy door. Locke slid forward carefully finding every movement unbearable. He reached Charlie, checking his vital sighs, finding a pulse and breathing. The gash on his head was now bleeding more and it seemed the rod had caused his lip and nose to bleed. Locke carried on quickly finding his way to the computer, he struggled up, crying out again as his leg pained him, he managed it onto the small seat and began to type.

4,8,15,16,23,42, execute. The numbers on the wall rolled back to 108 and Locke sighed loudly, looking down at Charlie's unconscious form.

"Thanks Charlie" he smiled lightly, "I'm glad you came down here now"

Suddenly the sound of the doors came and they retreated upward. Locke let himself slowly down to the floor and pushed his way back to Charlie. Henry then appeared from where the door had been he stepped gingerly forward.

"Is he ok?" he asked staying where he was.

"Locke?" Suddenly a babble of voices could be heard down the passageway.

"I'm here" John shouted back and he looked around the computer table to see Sayid, Jack, Ana and Kate enter the room. At once Ana and Sayid held guns up pointed at Henry, Henry remained still.

"What are you doing?" Locke was confused.

"Why is he out of the armoury?" Jack looked furious, he had yet to notice that Locke was injured and Charlie was laying unconscious beside him.

"He's one of them!" Ana shouted quickly, "he shouldn't be here, get him back in the armoury"

"But?" Locke was trying to make due with the situation which was becoming more and more confusing. Kate walked towards him, then suddenly noticing Charlie beside him.

"Oh God" she cried, "What the hell happened" she stood on the spot for a moment, looking to Jack and motioning to Locke and Charlie. Jack quickly noticed and rushed to Charlie's side.

"If you'd have let me explain" Locke felt helpless, as if this was all his fault, "there was an accident"

"Charlie?" Jack was trying to rouse the boy but to no success. He checked his eyes and breathing and then looked at the gash across his head, blood was still seeping quickly from it.

"Help me get him to the bed" Jack asked Locke and John shook his head.  
" I can't," he said, pointed to his bloodied leg, "I can't walk" Jack looked at Locke's leg and shook his head, "tell me what happened, Kate can you fetch me some blankets and bandages, water, alcohol"

Suddenly the hatch burst full of life, Sayid and Ana seemed annoyed and both grabbed Henry and frog marched him back the armoury. Kate hurried off in search of things. Locke gave Jack a full run down of what had just happened and the fact that without Charlie and Henry, Locke had probably lost his legs and the button wouldn't have been pushed. It was as Kate returned with blankets and pillows that Charlie began to stir. His hand shot to his head as he did before and he groaned.

"Charlie, speak to me?" Jack asked quickly as the boy tried to bat his hands away from his face.

"Oh, bloody hell, I think a tonne of bricks just fell on my head" Jack smiled to see that Charlie found the humorous side of things. He placed a pillow under his head and let the boy regain full consciousness.

"What's going on? Jack?" Charlie mumbled, finding himself confused, "where am I"

"Seems like you just saved the day Charlie" Jack smiled down at him, "without you it could have been a hell of a lot worse"

"Huh?" Charlie's face contorted in confusion, his head throbbed painfully.  
"Never mind" said Jack. "I'll tell you later"


End file.
